Analyst Mike Mayock down on NFL draft's talent level, but high on Jarvis Jones for Lions

Feb. 18, 2013

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Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones tips his hat to fans as he leaves the field after defeating Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, 2013, in Orlando. / Associated Press

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There’s good depth but not a lot of difference makers in this year’s draft, and NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said teams such as the Detroit Lions picked a bad year to have a top-10 pick.

“I think the fifth pick in the draft and the 25th pick in this draft are very similar,” Mayock said in a teleconference today.

The Lions pick fifth this year and are on the lookout for pass rushers, something Mayock said might not be of value that early.

He’s not high as some analysts on two defensive ends in the top 10 of most mock drafts: Texas A&M’s Damontre Moore and Florida State’s Bjoern Werner. And he said Georgia’s Jarvis Jones is a better fit for the Lions than Oregon’s Dion Jordan.

“There are impact players in this draft,” Mayock said. “You don’t need defensive tackles (in Detroit), you need more defensive ends, and that’s fine. There’s going to be a lot of people who think Damontre Moore’s that guy, and Damonte Moore has a lot of talent, and he might be one of those guys.

“I’ll give you another name: Jarvis Jones from Georgia. Now that’s a good football player. Jarvis Jones is playing in a 4-3, which is what Detroit plays, as an outside 'backer. He’s an impact, explosive football player, and he’s ready to play now. … He’s a guy who could make a whole lot of sense in Detroit.”

Jones, who led the nation with 14 1/2 sacks last year, could play a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker role for the Lions. But he also could slip out of the top 10 because of medical concerns.

Jones started his college career at USC, where he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and wasn’t allowed to play.

Mayock said Jordan, whom he ranks ahead of Jones as an outside linebacker, isn’t as good of a fit for the Lions because he’s too small to be an every-down defensive end as a rookie. Still, Mayock is high on Jordan's potential and said he's “two years away from being an Aldon Smith-type player.”

“He’s only about 240 pounds, but he’s 6-7, got frightening athletic skills, but he’s a year away,” Mayock said. “He’d be a situational pass rusher Year 1, and if he puts 20 pounds on, I think he’s going to be a perennial all-pro. I really like the kid, but again, that’s a little bit of a risk-reward. You’re betting on this kid two years from now.”

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Mayock said four players should be in consideration for the No. 1 overall pick – offensive linemen Luke Joeckel, Chance Warmack, Jonathan Cooper and Eric Fisher of Central Michigan. He said Moore and Werner lack the “elite quick-twitch ability (necessary) to get to the quarterback.”

“Werner, I like him. I know what I’m going to get with Werner,” Mayock said. “I think he’s a tough kid, he’s got a good motor, he’s got a good get-off, he works hard. I like his hand usage, especially for a guy that hasn’t played a lot of football. There’s a lot to like about him. But he doesn’t have that quick-twitch, Dwight Freeney type of get off and go. And if you’re talking about a top-five or top-10 defensive end, that’s kind of what you want to see.

“And with Damontre Moore, he’s long, but again, he does everything pretty well in the pass game. But I don’t see that elite quick-twitch burst. And I also don’t see a great run defender. I think he’s average against the run, at best. When I look at those kind of guys, I value them. I like them, but I like them later in the first round, not in the top 10.”